The Orc's Rose: Chapter Four (special preview)

Chapter Four:

Summer gave way to fall, and with it there was a chill in the air. The mornings and evenings were crisp, while the afternoons still held a balmy warmth. The reaping was in the distance, but Ozren was still right in front of me. We had grown closer, and I had become much more comfortable in the home we shared.

Despite this I found myself waking at strange hours of the night and found it impossible to fall back to sleep. All I could do was lie there in that big bed and listen to Ozren breathing right beside me. He was so peaceful, it was nice being able to watch him slumber. He laid on his back when he slept and his contours are like a mountain range. His long, curly hair splayed out across his pillow where I could reach and touch it. One of the new chores I discovered I enjoyed was brushing his hair. I found comfort in the mere act of touching it. Ozren was quite hairy, but the curls on his head were by far my favorite. The dark black, peppered with silver and gray strands was like the night sky to me. With my care it had become silky to the touch.

Those quiet moments where Ozren slept and I was awake, I could almost say I loved him. But there would grow a voice in my mind reminding me that love wasn’t for me. I wasn’t worth it, I didn’t deserve it. The voice sounded like my father, and no matter how often Ozren reassured me, the voice remained.

I placed my hand on Ozren’s arm and began the process of trying to coax myself to sleep. Ozren stirred, his arm moving and his hand took hold of mine.

“Can you not sleep, my Rose?” His groggy voice rattled.

I jolted then settled, almost relieved to hear his voice rather than the one in my head. “I thought you were asleep. I’m sorry.”

Ozren rolled over and put his arm around me to bring me in close.“I felt ya stir, and it cracked me just a bit. What troubles ya so? What can I do to make it go away?”

Being against his warm body was a start. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be okay. You have so much work tomorrow, you need your rest.”

“Nah, that ain’t gonna work. I’ll never sleep knowin’ something is botherin’ ya.” His hand rubbed up and down my back. “We can just talk if you want.”

My head rested upon his arm while my hands lingered upon his body. I wanted to tell him how I felt, but I grew too scared at the last moment.

“I’m really happy here with you, Ozren.” I knew I was a coward saying that.

Ozren yawned loudly and kissed the top of my head. “That’s good, very good. I try my hardest to make sure ya are. It does me good to know you feel that way.”

“I wish there was more I could do.”

Ozren’s palm rested against my lower back. “You do more than ya know, my Rose. You make this house a home, and you make my bed a much more enjoyable place to me,” he said with a chuckle. “I like having ya around. It makes me feel like a younger man again. Like I could do anything.”

My brow pinched and I placed my hand firmly against his chest. “That’s the silliest thing I’ve heard. You’re still a young man, Ozren.”

Ozren snorted. “I could still be younger. Could have less silver in my hair. I’m not one of these young swains walking around swinging barrels and getting piss-drunk every night.”

“Thank goodness you're not! This house would be a lot harder to keep tidy if you were pissing in all the corners.”

Ozren's laugh was a welcome sound to my ears. He hugged me tighter and pressed a long, hard kiss to my lips that I didn’t want to end.

“Believe it or not, my Rose, I used to, back in my younger days. I would come out of the bar at dawn and not feel sober until the next time I went inside.” He smoothed his hand along my cheek and gazed lovingly at me in the dim light.

I felt a strange urge to poke him come bubbling up. “I’m surprised you don’t have less fingers.”

Ozren inched in closer to me. “What a sad fate for you if I didn’t,” he whispered.

I smiled and stroked my foot along his leg. “Being a drunk with an axe doesn’t sound very safe.”

He chuckled. “It wasn't. I had to calm myself at some point.”

I wanted to see more of him, so I sat up beside him in bed. He rolled onto his back, looking up at me and I gazed upon him.

“I’m glad you did, or else neither of us might be here now.”

Ozren reached up and cupped my face in his large hand. His one wooden finger felt cool against my skin. “I suppose all that youth was good for something. It was the road that led me to you.”

My smile was faint. “Seems like a very silly road.”